Chicago police are investigating an alleged sexual assault at an Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity party near the University of Chicago after a 21-year-old woman said she lost consciousness in a bathroom and woke to find a man over her.
The woman, a student at the University of Illinois Chicago, told officers she arrived with friends at the party in Hyde Park at about 10.30pm on Saturday, October 10. She said she had consumed three cans of an alcoholic drink but appeared to a friend to be far more intoxicated than expected.
According to the police report, the woman had been dancing with two men when one repeatedly asked her to go to a bedroom. She said she refused before beginning to feel ill and experiencing periods of blacking out.
She went to a bathroom, where the man followed her, the report said. After losing consciousness, she told police she awoke to find him above her with his trousers down. Her clothing had been disturbed and her bra had been removed, according to the account.
A friend entered the bathroom and pushed the man away. Other friends said they had begun searching for the woman after she failed to return, between about 1.30am and 2am.
Friends describe scene outside bathroom
One friend told police that between three and five men were gathered outside the bathroom, cheering and appearing to encourage what was happening inside. The men initially denied that anyone was in the room.
When the friends returned and demanded entry, one of the men allegedly grabbed a woman by the hair to stop her going inside. Another friend eventually picked the lock, allowing them to enter.
The friends said they found the alleged offender standing over the woman with his trousers down. She appeared not to be fully conscious and her shirt was undone, they reported. When told to move away, the man allegedly replied that everything was “cool”.
The group of men ran from the property after one of the woman’s friends confronted them outside. The friend followed until encountering University of Chicago police, who documented the incident and advised the woman to seek medical attention.
She later attended hospital, where she consented to a sexual-assault examination and received treatment for possible sexually transmitted infections, according to the report. Chicago police Area 1 detectives were notified and requested university video showing the group leaving the scene.
Person of interest identified
Police described the suspected offender as aged between 18 and 21, around 5ft 7in tall, with curly hair and no facial hair. He was said to have been wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and black trousers.
The University of Chicago said a person of interest had since been identified using witness accounts and security evidence, including university camera footage and licence-plate reader information. The individual is not a student or otherwise affiliated with the university and has been barred from campus, according to the university. ([abcnews.com](https://abcnews.com/US/person-interest-reported-sex-assault-aepi-identified-banned/story?id=137261445&utm_source=openai))
No charges have been announced and the investigation remains ongoing.
Alpha Epsilon Pi said it was co-operating with investigators and that its national organisation had directed the chapter to pause events and programmes while the inquiry continued. The fraternity said there was no evidence that any of its members had taken part in or known about the alleged assault, while the local chapter said the party was shut down after members became aware of the report. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/alpha-epsilon-pi-fraternity-statement-university-of-chicago-sexual-assault/?utm_source=openai))
The University of Chicago said fraternities are not recognised student organisations and therefore have no formal affiliation with the university, but said students remain subject to its policies and disciplinary procedures. It described the report as “deeply concerning” and said the safety and wellbeing of students and visitors was its highest priority.
